Unitary dental apparatus



SQPL 17 1940. PlEPER I 2,214,775

UNITARY DENTAL APPARATUS Filed Feb. 23. 1938 3.,Sheets-Sheet 2.

. A BY gal ASATTORNEYS Sept. 17, 1940. o. H. PIEPER UNITARY DENTAL. APPARATUS s Sheets-Sheet s Filed Feb. 23,. 1938 s s m 7. drAw JEN W Patented Sept. 17 1 940 I I I UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE UNITARY DENTAL APPARATUS Oscar H. Pieper, Rochester, N. Y. Application February 23, 1938, Serial No. 192,125

9 Claims. (CI. 3222) The present invention relates to dental apship of the closure and instrument holder conparatus such, for example, as a dental equipment nected thereto; a stand or unit of the type adapted to support a Fig. 8 is a detail sectional view through the variety of instruments or appliances adjacent bottom of the closure, drawn to an enlarged scale the dental'chair and within easy reach of the and Showing the manner of securing one of the 5 operator. a guide rods for the instrument holder on the The inventionhas for its object more particuclosure; larly to provide in apparatus of this class, com- Fig. 9 is a detail sectional view on line 99 pact, unitary, and simplified means for protectof Fig. 5, and 10 ing and controlling various electrical, compressed Fig. 10 is a sectional view taken on line l0l0 10,

air, water, and gas appliances for use by dentists of Fig. 2. in the performance of different operations and The same reference numerals throughout the which can be manufactured and assembled at a several views indicate the same parts.

1; moderate cost. The preferred embodiment of the invention dis- A further object of the invention is to provide closed herein by way of illustration comprises a 15 in combination with means for housing and prohollow supporting column or standard l0 resting tecting a variety of instruments, and especially a on a base I l of any suitable design. The column number of the hand instruments to be used by has extended from one side thereof an arm' [2 dentists, improved automatic holding and posicarrying a fountain cuspidor bowl l3 and a drinktiomng means for the instruments adapted to ing fountain, not shown. At the opposite side of 20 render them readily accessible when needed as the column is a portion of an arm I4 for supwell as to insure greater service when in use. porting various dental appliances, such, for ex- A further object of the invention is toprovide ample, as an instrument tray, gas burner, dental X 1 a'unitary structure on whichthe various instrumotor, and other equipment, not shown. Morements are assembled in juxtaposition and which over the stand may be provided with such other 25 embodies relatively few parts of simple construcfixtures or appliances as it may be deemed necestion, designed to be conveniently operated and sary to provide, including, for example, the usual controlled and to facilitate the selection and Sp ay bot Warmers. and a Switchboard whereby handling of the instruments. the electrically operated instruments may be con- To these and other ends the invention resides nected in circuit and controlled as desired. 30 in certain improvements and combinations of The upper end l5 of the column is provided parts, all as will be hereinafter more fully dewith a recess or compa tment is r us ng and scribed, the novel features being pointed out in protectin v us t um or d tal applithe claims at the end of the specification. ances which are assembled in juxtaposition and I In the drawin located within easy reach of the dentist in order 35 Fig. 1 is a front elevational view of a portion that he may re di y make use of the same. The of a dental stand to which the invention is shown instruments are normally main ined W hin the applied; a I compartment by a suitable carrier or supporting Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional elevation substanv cep v With a pl m f mechanism 40 tially on line 22 of Fig. 1; v for automatically moving the instruments into 40 Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2, showing the position to render them accessible for use upon instrument supporting closure in open position moveme t o d d v e o a predetermined posiand the instrument holder at its outermost position relative t0 t Colllmh- The Carrier D- tion on the closure; I 1 porting device may be of any preferred design Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3, showing one of but p e e y o p i a C osure IT for the com- 45 the instruments withdrawn from the holder partment and other parts connected thereto and Fig. 5 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view des e e a e through the upper portion of the dental stand, The closure I1 is connected by a pair of pivot drawn to an enlarged scale and showing the posimembers With the forwardly eXtending gs I9 tion of the closure when the instruments are not at t e bottom of h Vertical front Wall p t o s 50 in 20 of the column. The front wall portions 20, Fig. 6 is a vertical sectional view on line 66 takenwith the upper and lower portions 2| and bf Fig 5; I 22 of the front wall of the column form a seat for 'I is a horizontal section through the upper the closure and cooperate with the latter when portion-of the dental stand showing the-relationin normal position to protect the compartment 55 and the instruments therein against the entrance of dust and other foreign matter thereto.

Disposed at the inner side of the closure are a pair of vertically extending guides or rods 2% each having its upper end extended within a boss 25 on the closure and its lower end within a lug 26 on the bottom edge of the closure, within which the rod is secured by a set-screw 2i, Figs. 5 and 8. An instrument holder 28 is disposed within the compartment and is provided with inwardly extending lugs or members 29 slidably engaging the rods 2 2-, thus providing for movement of the holder on the closure between the lowered and raised positions shown in Figs. 2 and 3. The closure is provided adjacent its upper end with a rearwardly extending part 36 with which is suitably connected a pin ti on which is free to rotate a small pulley 3Z,Figs. 6 and 9. The holder 28 may be of any preferred design and is provided adjacent its lower end with a lug 33- with which is connected one end of a flexible operating connection 3Q, preferably a cable, which is extended over the pulley and suitably connected at its upper end with a lug 35 on the inner wall of the column as, for example, by means of a screw 3%, Figs. 5 and 6. The holder is provided with a vertically extending slot 3'1 to afford clearance for the cable 36 when swinging the closure to the open position shown in Fig. 3, by pulling on the knob or handle 38 attached to the closure to form means for moving the same to and from closed position. It willbe apparent that on opening the closure the cable or operating connection M will move the holderv upwardly and outwardly on the guidesZd to a position in advance of the compartment as shown in Fig. 3. Moreover, upon returning the closure to normal position the holder will be moved downwardly on the guides by the action of gravity to the lowered position shown in Fig. 2.

' The holder shown is for the reception of the handles or mountings of a number of diiferent instruments such, for example, as the hot air syringe 3? an air nozzle it, a cautery ti, and a handle 42 for supporting various electrically operated instruments adapted to be interchangeably connected with the handle, one of which comprises the examination lamp Q3. The holder is preferably provided with an opening for the reception of each of the instruments or the mountings therefor, one of the openings being shown at 44 in Fig. 5, and within which is extended the handle of the hotair syringe 39 which has an enlarged portion 39b seated on an. annular shoulder 28a of the holder. It will be understood however that the construction of the holder may be varied as desired to accommodate it to different types of instruments to be mounted thereon.

The air or fluid supply conduits for the instruments 39 and ii! are indicated at 39a and 40a, respectively, and the cords containing the circuit connections for the cautery All and hand piece 42 are indicated at Ma and 62a, respectively, said conduits and cords each extending downwardly from the holder 28 within a channelshaped member i l, housed within the column ill and suitably connected with the base i i thereof. The inner ends of said cord-circuits, and conduits are carried upwardly within the column to a point above the channels and each suitably connected to a hollow member 65, preferably secured on the rear wall of the column, Fig. 2. The hollow mema suitablefluid supply source under pressure, not shown. Likewise the members 55 to which the cords 41c and 42a are connected each is electrically connected with a current supply source, not shown.

Disposed within each of the channel members it is a counterbalancing weight 46 in the form of a pulley which is guided by and free to move up and down within the channel. The pulley is normally supported above the loop of the cord or conduit by a pair of cushioning members 47 each being generally U-shapedin cross section and formed of resilient material such, for example, as rubber, said members being cemented to thewalls of the channel or otherwise secured thereon and forming seats for the flanges of the pulley as-shown in Fig. 10.

In order to relieve the operator of having to moved to the open positionshown' in Fig. 3, the

loop of the conduit 39a will be immediately be neath the pulley it resting on the supports 47,

Fig. 3. However, withthe'closure in open position, withdrawal of any, one of the instruments from the holder will cause its'corres'ponding cord with as indicatedfor' example,-in Fig. 4, in which the 'hot air syringe 3911s shown removed from the holder 28."

, twill be understood that when the operator is through using, any one of the'instruments he will allow it to. be returned to normal position on the holder by the pull. of the counterbalancing weight or pulley 46 on. the cord or conduit with or conduit to elevatethe pulley associated therewhich the instrument is connected. Upon downward movement of the pulleys to their lowermost in an-outward. and upward direction for thepurpose of extending the instruments or the handles thereof aboveor beyond the closure whereby to render theimreadily accessible by positioning them inconvenient reach of the operator. The movement of the instrument holder outwardly on the guide rods 2 of the closure is effected by'the action of the pulley 32 on the cable as, the pulley cooperating with the cable to accelerate the movement of the holderwhen it is being elevated from the positionshown in Fig. 2 to that shown in'Fig 3f, as will-beapparent from the arrangement of parts shown. I I

Withthe holder in the position indicated in Fig. 3 the operator may conveniently grasp any one .of the instruments, he desires to use and r di r ihdra it mtfi ld r- U on m,- r

pletion of the different operations from time to time the closure will be returned to normal position,- as shown in Fig. 2, to protect the instruments. carried by the .closure. During return of the closure to normal position the action of gravity on the instrument holder will cause it to be moved downwardly to its lowermost position within the compartment l6.

The closure may be opened to any desired extent but it is found that satisfactory results are afforded by moving it through an angle of about forty-five degrees. It will be understood that if desired, any adjustable stop means may be provided for limiting the extent of movement of the Closure when swingingit from closed to open position.

It will be apparent from the above described construction that the closure comprises means connecting it, the main column or pedestal frame In, and also the instrument holder, for moving the holder outwardly on the rods or guideways 24 on the closure, as a result of the opening movement of the closure. This actuating means is of such a character as to afford an ample movement of the holder, from a position inside the pedestal frame H), to a position wholly outside the same, so as to accessibly present the instruments beyond the outer edge of the closure where they may be readily grasped for extension to the point of use. During such movement of the closure, the tensioning means comprising the pulleys 46 is inoperative, to relieve the closure of tension, but the removal of the instruments from the holder brings their flexible supply elements 39a, Ma, Ma, and 4211 into engagement with the tensioning pulleys 46 for retracting the instruments and their supply elements after use. The means for projecting the instruments bodily from a position within to a position wholly outside the pedestal or column frame Ill, to make themreadily accessible for use, is thus coordinated with the tensioning means for the supply elements of the instruments in such a way as to prevent interference by the tensioning means with the movement of the closure, but to condition the tensioning means for operation only during the extension of the instruments and their flexible elements beyond the holder.

It will be understoood that the term instrument used in the claims may be considered to include the holder therefor, the term being used in this connection in its broadest sense.

The use of the holder is of course made especially advantageous as a means for supporting a plurality of instruments in order that they may all be projected from the compartment for housing the same atone operation and preferably by the use of a single actuating connector such, for example, as the cable 34, although a plurality of suitable connectors can readily be provided for moving the holder if desired.

While one embodiment of the invention has been disclosed, it is to be understood that the inventive idea may be carried out in a. number of ways. This application is therefore not to be limited to the precise details described, but is intended to cover all variations and modifications thereof falling within the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A dental unit comprising a hollow frame having an opening in a wall thereof, a closure for said opening pivotally supported on said frame, an instrument holder supported on and movable with said closure and having, in addition, an outward movement on said closure toward the outer edge thereof when in open position, to present an instrument in said holder in accessible position adjacent said outer closure edge, and means connected with said frame, said closure, and said holder for effecting said outward movement of said holder on said closure as a result of said pivotal movement of said closure.

2. A dental unit comprising a hollow main pedestal frame having an opening in a wall thereof, a closure for said opening movably supported on said frame, a guideway on said closure extending outwardly from said frame in the open position of the closure, an instrument holder having an outward sliding movement on said guideway to present an instrument for ready accessibility, and means connected with said frame, said closure and said holder, for effecting said movement of said holder as a result of movement of said closure.

3. A dental unit comprising a hollow main pedestal frame having an opening in a wall thereof, a closure for said opening movably supported on said frame, an instrument holder on said closure and movable relatively to the inner side thereof substantially parallel therewith and outwardly from said frame, and flexible means connecting said frame, said closure and said holder and actuated by movement of said closure, for effecting said movement of said holder relatively to said closure to present an instrument for ready accessibility.

4. A dental unit comprising a frame having an opening in a wall thereof, a closure for said opening movably supported on said frame, an instrument holder movable with and also relatively to said closure outwardly from said frame to present an instrument for ready accessibility, and a cable connected with said frame, said closure and said holder for effecting said movement of said holder relatively to said closure as a result of movement of said closure.

5. A dental unit comprising a frame having an opening in a wall thereof, a closure for said opening pivotally supported on said frame, an instrument holder movable relatively to said closure outwardly from said frame to present an instrument beyond said closure for ready accessibility, a pulley on said closure in spaced relation with said pivot, and a cable connected with said frame and holder and passing around said pulley, for effecting said movement of said holder as a result of movement of said closure.

6. A dental unit comprising a frame having an opening in a wall thereof, a closure for said opening pivotally supported on said frame, a guideway on said closure extending outwardly from said frame in the open position of the closure, a dental instrument, a flexible element in said frame connected to said instrument for supplying an operating mediumthereto, an instrument holder having an outward sliding movement on said guideway to present said instrument beyond said closure for ready accessibility, a pulley on said closure in spaced relation with said closure pivot, and a cable connected with said frame and holder and passing around said pulley for effecting said movement of said holder as the result of movement of said closure.

'7. A dental unit comprising a hollow frame having an opening in a wall thereof, a closure for said opening movably supported on said frame, a dental instrument, a flexible element in said frame connected with said instrument for supplying an operating medium thereto, a holder for said instrument movable with and also relatively to said closure from a position within to a position outside said frame to present said instrument outwardly beyond said closure for ready accessibility, means connected with said frame, said closure and said holder, for effecting said movement of said holder relatively to said closure as the result of movement of said closure, and tensioning means for said element inoperative during movement of said instrument and said closure, to relieve said closure of tension, but acting to tension said flexible element during extension of said instrument from said holder, for retracting said element and instrument after use.

8. A dental unit comprising a hollow main pedestal frame having an opening in a wall thereof, a closure movable on said frame to open and close said opening, a dental instrument, a flexible element looped in said frame and connected with said instrument for supplying an operating medium thereto, an instrument holder movable With and relatively to said closure from a position within to a position outside said frame to present said instrument for removal from said holder and extension with said element to a point of use, means connected with said frame, said closure and said holder, for effecting said movement of said holder relatively to said closure as the result of movement of said closure, pulley means engageable With the loop of said'element for tensioning the same, and a stop for disengaging said pulley means from said element during movement of said closure to relieve the same of tension, said pulley being positioned to engage and tension said element during extension of said instrument from said holder for retracting said element and instrument after use.

9. A dental unit comprising a hollow frame having an opening in a wall thereof, a closure for said opening pivotally supported on said frame, an instrument holder supported on and movable with said closure and having, in addition, an outward movement on said closure toward the outer edge thereof when in open position, to present an instrument in said holder in accessible position adjacent said outer closure edge, and means connected with said frame and said holder for effecting said outward movement of said holder on said closure as a result of said pivotal movement of said closure.

OSCAR H. PIEPER. 

